Mark Perry Jr., age 13, of Gulfport, miss., for his question:
HAS SIERRA LEONE BEEN AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY LONG?
In 1961, the West African country of Sierra Leone became completely independent but remained a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. In 1967 a group of Army officers took over the government but they were overthrown in 1968 and a civilian government took over. Then in 1971, the legislature rewrote the Constitution and Sierra Leone became a republic.
In 1787, an Englishman named Granville Sharp strongly opposed slavery. He settled about 400 freed American black slaves on land where the Sierra Leone town of Freetown now stands.
The settlers suffered from hunger, disease and warfare and the settlement almost died out. But Great Britain made the slave trade illegal in 18'07 and the next year the British government made the Sierra Leone Peninsula a colony.
The British freed slaves from the slave ships of many nations and settled them in the new colony. British influence spread inland and in 1896, a protectorate over the area was established. Then from 1896 until 1961, Sierra Leone moved gradually toward self government.
Diamonds make up about two thirds of the total value of Sierra Leone's exports. The diamonds are mined by a British company using 3,000 licensed Sierra Leone diggers.
About half of the nation's diamonds make gemstones and the rest are less expensive diamonds that are used in industry.
Although the government controls the quantities of diamonds mined, may persons mine the stones illegally and smuggle them out of the country.
Diamonds were discovered in 1930. The government made an agreement with a United States company in 1965 to establish a diamond cutting industry in Sierra Leone.
In recent years deposits of iron ore, bauxite and rutile have been discovered. Bauxite is used in making aluminum and rutile contains the important metal titanium. Iron ore is the second most important export from Sierra Leone.
Farmers of Sierra Leone produce a wide variety of crops. But poor soil, the dry season and the use of traditional farming methods keep crop yields low. Little effort is made to keep the soil fertile. As soon as the soil wears out on one plot, a farmer moves to a new area, clears the land and plants a food crop.
Rice is the main food crop. Palm kernels are the chief export crop.
Sierra Leone is the world's leading exporter of piassava, a fiber from the raffia palm used in making brushes. There is also some tuna fishing off the coast near Freetown.
The nation is slightly smaller than the state of South Carolina and the population is about the same as that state.
A president heads the government. He is elected to a five year term by the House of Representatives, Sierra Leone's lawmaking body. The people elect 84 members of the House. The House also has 12 members who are tribal chiefs elected by representatives of local councils.
Most of Sierra Leone's people are Africans who form 12 main tribes.